GOP presidential candidate canceled Nevada appearances

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy canceled his scheduled appearances in Nevada last weekend, which would have marked his first campaign stop in the Silver State.

Ramaswamy, who is one candidate in a crowded field hoping to win the Republican nomination for president, had planned to speak at a Clark County GOP town hall on Saturday at the Clark County Republican Party’s headquarters.

Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law sent an email to members the Wednesday before the event informing them the event was canceled because the “RSVPs outgrew the fire code” of the office. He said Ramaswamy’s team is looking for a larger venue and will reschedule the event.

“We appreciate the opportunity and the excitement that national attention brings to our county through these types of events,” Law said.

The Clark County GOP welcomes all Republican candidates to its office, Law said, adding that the county party as a whole is neutral during primaries unless otherwise stated.

Ramaswamy was also scheduled to attend the Washoe Republican Women’s Boots and BBQ fundraiser July 22, but the group was told he was not available to attend, according to an email the group’s first vice president, Kim Bacchus, sent to its members.

Ramaswamy’s campaign did not return requests for comment.

With about seven months to go until the primary election and planned Nevada Republican Party caucus, only a few Republican candidates have visited Nevada since announcing their campaign runs.

Nevada is an influential state in both the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. Republicans’ planned state primary lineup is Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and then South Carolina, making Nevada “first in the West and third in the nation,” Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In recent months, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made campaign stops in the state, however as a whole the candidates have largely focused on Iowa and New Hampshire. Back in November 2022, before officially announcing their presidential bids, other candidates spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott.

“It’s not surprising that they aren’t coming out here yet,” said Dan Lee, a political science professor at UNLV. “They’re just focusing (on the earliest states) because, again, a lot of these candidates don’t have a ton of money and resources, so they have to be pretty strategic in how they allocate it.”

Candidates may also be weighing where they have a better chance of winning, Lee said. In the 2016 primary, Trump did very well in Nevada, so some candidates might not think they have a good chance of winning Nevada, he said.

Lee expects more candidates to ramp up their campaigns in Nevada around Labor Day.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.